The wife of an inmate at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa has sought the help of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to stop “immoral values among prisoners and authorities alike” after witnessing her husband use methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu with fellow inmates last month.
In a letter to PDEA obtained by The STAR, the woman said her husband confessed to her that the illegal drug was being supplied to well-off inmates at the maximum security compound by a fellow inmate who has links to NBP officials.
“At first he would not tell me but in the end he told me he was buying from an inmate who is a bata ni super (a man with links to the NBP superintendent). It came from one of the dorms (in the NBP),” she said.
“Maybe that was why he always asked for big amount of money, telling me it was for food and some requirements from their brigade. That’s why some other wives would no longer visit their husband inside because of this addiction,” she added.
The woman also said that wives of inmates belonging to the Sputnik Gang are aware of this illegal drug trade within the national penitentiary.
The woman admitted her husband also got hooked on gambling in prison. She said inmates would bet hundreds or thousands of pesos on a card game of cara y cruz.
She added that various brands of liquor are available in the prison cells – especially during celebrations such as the “anniversary of the brigada, birthday of Bosyo (commander of the gang) or birthday ni mayor (referring to the lead inmate in a cell).”
Tuba (sugarcane wine) costs P300 per bottle while brandy goes for P600 to P700. Inmates who can afford to buy alcohol may enjoy drinking while poor inmates serve as runners for the celebration, the woman said.
She also said inmates at the maximum security compound could order from guard commanders “girls from outside to give fun and entertainment for P1,500 to P2,000 each.”
She said she also overheard her husband talking to fellow inmates about “protection money for super.”
The woman, however, requested anonymity so as not to jeopardize the safety of her husband, who is still in jail after he was convicted eight years ago.
She said she already sought the help of the Bureau of Corrections and Department of Justice on the issue, but they did not respond. She said her last chance is with PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago, a former BuCor director.
Asked for a reaction, Santiago’s office said he wants the issue be known by the public.
“If this is confirmed, the administration of NBP should coordinate with us for proper action. We cannot initiate actions on this issue because they might appear inutile,” PDEA public information chief Derrick Carreon told The STAR.